Sweden: More than ABBA, IKEA and H&M!

While Sweden is 15,527
km away from Sydney, I already feel so at home here in Uppsala.

In just 1 month, I
have marched in Stockholm Pride Parade with 15 new friends, pet reindeer, gone
to Sweden’s famous IKEA 3 times, had Swedish meatballs (which were vegan!), and
sung in an all-Swedish taught choir! Honestly, Uppsala University should be
your number 1 preference. It offers constant fun, endless activities and a
taste of the quirky Swedish culture.

Do the following three
points fit your exchange criteria? If so, then do not hesitate to pick Uppsala!

Uppsala
has an idyllic, bustling small town vibe (yet a quick 45-minute train-ride will
drop you off in one of the most majestic capital cities in the world,
Stockholm)

The
university has a never-ending pool of exchange and Swedish students to make
friends with because it is a student-focused town (seriously, you meet someone
new every day here!)

There is a
slight but not overly challenging language barrier as you need to learn some
basic words for grocery shopping, transport etc. but everyone can speak English
perfectly!

Let me unpack these
statements more…

Small-Town Vibes:

Cycling around Uppsala
feels like you are on a small-town movie set. The cathedral dominates the
sky-line and you can see it from wherever you stand. The river is lined with
flowers and beautiful bridges, there are cobbled streets and every building is
a different colour. I’m constantly stopping to take a photo or simply pause to ‘smell
the roses’!

Student Life:

Uppsala is a
university town. The 13 student nations (like an American sorority or
fraternity) dominate the student culture. During your time, you will choose 1
to be part of but this does not limit you from experiencing activities in the
other 12. They all offer:

Cheap and tasty
food and drink. Does a big burger and chips for only $10 sound good? Or maybe
pea soup, pancakes, unlimited salad, bread and coffee all for only $8?

Daily
events such as Latin dancing, hiking, choirs, formals, clubs at night and MUCH
more

Work
opportunities in the restaurants or pubs with no prior experience is needed!

Grandiose buildings
with cosy spots for you to chill-out, study and meet local Swedes.

I can’t stress to you
enough how cool these nations are. It is so unique and Harry Potter-ish and
once you pick your nation you feel an immediate sense of pride and passion for
it!

Adding to this student
life, you must stay in Flogsta; the place where everything happens! 800
students live in this accommodation area, and you live in a corridor with 11
other international or Swedish students. My corridor is already so close and I
have people from Korea, Syria, Germany, France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia,
Netherlands, India and Serbia! As you can imagine… there is never a dull
moment!

Sweden:

I initially was going
to pick a UK university but wanted something a little more out of my comfort
zone in terms of language and culture. Sweden strikes that balance perfectly. Sweden
has some quirky yet fascinating traditions which you have to see to believe.
For example, at the end of a ‘gasque’ (ball/formal), we were whirling napkins
above our heads chanting?! It’s so interesting and a beautiful place and
culture to explore.

A final tip if you
want to go to Uppsala is to do the Summer Swedish Langauge Course. This is with
150 other students where you arrive 4 weeks earlier than the rest of the
international students to learn basic level Swedish. This was the best decision
ever. It allowed me to settle down, make amazingly close friends and learn basic
Swedish all before semester kicked off. So you felt really comfortable and
settled in by the time actual university starts which is such a bonus.

Overall, Uppsala
University is the perfect place for a Sydney-sider to come for exchange. It is a
small town yet buzzes with life. I already know I’m going to be so sad to
leave.